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I’m a little bit insanely in love with the turkey shirt I made for Colton.

Do you think Hubby will go for matching family turkey shirts? Can I put this on a Thanksgiving pillow?

I followed this tutorial from The Cottage Home, which includes a free pattern, and found it helpful and easy. I haven’t don the embroidery, but I think I might skip it since I love the shirt so much already (Any thoughts on this? Does it need eyes, beak and feet?). I used an 18 month sized Carter’s onesie for my shirt, and I think if you make this turkey on a smaller shirt you might want to reduce the template size – it takes up most of the front area.

I’m popping back in to let you all know that I happened to spot my favorite pair of pre-pregnancy jeans in a drawer while putting clothes away today. As soon as I saw them, I thought, “my size 6 jeans from Old Navy are getting a little big. I wonder if these will fit?” I took off my size 6’s and held them up to my pre-pregnancy jeans. Hmm…those 4p’s are looking quite small in comparison. I prepped myself for them not to fit, pulled them on and…

THEY FIT!

The day after Colton’s 9 month birthday, I’m back in my all time favorite jeans. YES!

Except, I just noticed the center part of my button popped out. Oh well, I’m sure no one will notice.

This morning I’m wishing I had a little more variety in the size department in my closet. I’m looking for a dress to wear to a wedding this weekend and I would really love to a.) not wear my black maternity dress, and b.) have a non-maternity dress in my closet that doesn’t make me think “well, this doesn’t look horrible.”

Really, I know I’m more critical of how I look than anyone else is. In fact, most people I’ve talked to, including family members, think I’ve lost all of my weight.

I’m not totally sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, it’s nice to have people think I look good, but on the other, I feel slightly offended people think I looked like this before I was pregnant.

Honestly, I don’t feel that bad about my post-pregnancy body. I’m closing in on my pre-pregnancy weight and size, and in terms of body shape, I’m proportioned in almost exactly the same way. The parts of my body that aren’t so hot now, weren’t so hot before I was pregnant. I just genuinely wish I had a size 6 dress hanging in my closet.

Yesterday, the first day of September, brought some cooler, fall-ish weather our way, and I had to take advantage of it to wear what I think will be my new go-to fall outfit.

Someday, I will learn how to take clear, non-blurry photos of myself.

I wore one of my two pairs of LOFT trouser jeans, their new petal top in white, and their purple caridgan. LOVE IT! I also wore my brown loafers and purple and grey drop earrings, from New York and Company. I love that this outfit is so stinkin’ easy to wear, and comfy, but is still fun, cute, and work-appropriate.

Detail shot of the petals since you can’t see them in the other picture, due to my less than stellar photography skills.

Monday, I wore a white, pin-tucked 3/4 length top with a white ribbon tie at the waist. I love this top (from Ann Taylor Loft), but I don’t wear white often because when I do, I’m guaranteed to spill something on myself. Luckily, there were no major mishaps this day. I paired the top with my favorite, go-to pair of trouser jeans (also from Loft) and a pair of white flip-flops. My favorite part of this outfit are my earings — white with a red flower pressed in the center. I think it might be fun to jazz the top up with a red ribbon at the waist rather than the white one that came with the shirt.

When I was fixing my hair Sunday, I noticed I had a really great curl, and had to take a picture to remember this great hair moment.

I’m thinking of changing What I Wore Wednesday, so instead of seeing most of what I’ve worn through the week, you’ll see one outfit or item that I wore. This means I don’t have to worry quite as much about running out of new and different clothes!

The reasons I’ve been wearing this Ann Taylor Loft jacket almost non-stop since I purchased it Thursday are many-fold. The lightweight cotton is the perfect weight to keep me warm in my office, and cotton means machine washable! Despite being lightweight, this jacket has a good amount of structure, emphasizing a narrow waist and ribcage. The tie at the waist helps this and also gives size and style options. You can loop the tie back to the back to create a smaller jacket; this is a great option if you’re wearing the jacket as a layering piece and intend to keep it open and the way I’ve been wearing mine lately. Lastly, the gray is the perfect “goes with everything” color making it the perfect “my office is freezing” wardrobe staple.

One note about this jacket: the sizing seems be running a bit big, as my jacket is an XSP (a size smaller than what I normally wear) and is a perfect fit.

Saturday, I wore the navy blue baby doll dress and yellow cardigan to Hubby’s aunt and uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary. Hubby’s family is very, very casual, and I thought this walked the line between their casual-ness and the specialness of what we were celebrating.(Dress from Gap, Cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft)

Sunday, I wore the large floral print dress and white jacket to church. The dress is fairly tight at the rib cage, so the jacket helped off set that and make it more friendly for church and working with kids. (Dress from New York and Company, Jacket from Charlotte Rouse)

Monday, I continued my dress trend with a fun leaf-like printed dress I found at Belk for TWELVE DOLLARS! The Ann Taylor Factory cami underneath was more expensive than this steal of a dress!

Tuesday I wore my summer favorite — SEERSUCKER! I paired the basic skirt with navy and yellow floral blouse, and flip-flops with bows on them! How fun! (Skirt, Blouse and shoes from Ann Taylor Loft)

Just a 20-something girl living on the East Coast, trying to figure out life.
I'm a wife and mom to two.
I'm trying to rediscover my love for long walks, yoga and pilates. But not hiking. I still don't like hills.
I was raised at the beach, but I don't like the beach. I like to look at it, but I don't like to swim in it, I'd prefer a pool, thanks.
I'm just trying to become the best person I can be -- the woman God wants me to be. That's easier said than done!

E-mail Me!

Contact me at longbrakeliving@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you!

Hubby is my all-time favorite guy. A perfect mix of serious, sarcastic, laid-back, handy and nerdy, he is the perfect complement to me. I love his strong work-ethic and the way he always loves and supports me through everything. Some of Hubby's favorite things include: hiking, Virginia Tech football, woodworking, and his family. When I married him in July 2007, I had no idea what an amazing journey we were headed on, and how I could come to love him so much more each day.

Our oldest, Colton, is three years old. He is equal parts sassy and hysterical. He loves all things train, car, bus, truck, and machine related. He has a penchant for made-up words and loves to be the clown of his pre-school class.
Our younger son, Nathan, was born this May. He is pure joy and full of smiles! He is such a blessing and a perfect fit for our family.